Walking around the halls of the 2011 EICMA show, I saw this concept for an MV Agusta tourer sitting in the Motociclismo booth, and wondered what was the story behind the bike. Luckily the internet has answers for such questions, and it turns out that the MV Agusta Tricruiser is the brainchild of students at Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin (IED).

Using the MV Agusta F3 as a starting point, the graduate students at IED set out to envision the next iteration in MV Agusta’s smaller-displacement platform. With the Italian company under tremendous pressure to become profitable, MV Agusta must increase its volume by a factor greater than 10x if it wants to see blank ink on its balance sheet.

Accordingly, the company from Varese has been making a bevy of variations of its F4-based models, showing three new Brutale street-nakeds at EICMA (Brutale 920, Brutale R 1090, & Brutale RR 1090) at ECIMA, along with two F4 superbikes (F4R & F4RR).

Slotting in a smaller-displacement and cheaper-price point model series that is based off a 675cc three-cylinder motor, MV Agusta also showed its F3 supersport and its corresponding Brutale 675 street-naked at EIMCA this year. While compelling pieces, MV Agusta will surely need more models in its arsenal if it wants to achieve its financial goals, and the next MV Agusta is heavily rumored to be a sport-touring/adventure model.

While an unofficial project with MV Agusta, the students at IED were given an MV Agusta F3 to use as the basis for a sport-touring concept. Studying the MV Agusta brand, its current model line-up, and the company’s needs for the future, the students at IED ultimately landed on this MV Agusta Tricruiser concept, which we have to say is very pleasing to the eye in these photos (love, love, love the three-port exhaust design), and is even more striking in person (shame on me for not taking any photos).

Moving away from the classic Tamburini lines, the MV Agusta Tricruiser concept doesn’t immediately strike you as an MV Agusta machine, which will likely offended hardcore owners. However, given Varese’s decade-long rut when it comes to motorcycle styling (even if it is one of the most iconic designs in two-wheeled transportation) a move away from Maestro Tamburini’s work had to occur at some point. A bit modern in flare, our only other real criticism would be one from a technical point of view.

Striking design – I’ve always wondered why other manufacturers put so little effort into producing a desirable machine of this type from an aesthetic point of view. It’s as if there is some unwritten rule regarding compulsory ugliness.

Can’t see it making production, though. I imagine it would be viewed by the public at large as having too small an engine to be of practical touring use, whether that’s the case or not. And wouldn’t it “water-down” the name of the brand slightly, making their other machines less desirable? They always pride themselves on their long-forgotten racing heritage – I don’t reckon these bikes would really help the image.

Gary

Not MV too!!! I’m at a loss…

MostChillin

WOW — very nice indeed!

Hmmm… Not much of a Sport Tourer with no way to mount bags, a trunk or have a pillion along. I love what MV is doing and some of the new models being released but I think this has to be further developed if it’s going to be tagged as a ST. While I agree that the three-port exhaust design is pure sex, it would never fly on a ST.

Frankly, how is this different than the 675 Brutale? All of that being said, I think the design exercise is impressive!

RJ

Innovative design, and a great starting platform IMHO. Though smaller motors might not seem like a good idea in this segment, when dealing with multi-cylinder watercooled powerplants, they do the job admirably. Tune that 3 cylinder for a torque rich 100hp and keep the weight (and price) down and they are onto a winner.

People have to remember that this is the fastest growing market segment for larger motorcycles. Ducati didn’t lose any “racing heritage” with the Multistrada did they? No they got they’re best sales year ever instead…

i guess they altered the geometry from the brutale as well, anyway, i would hope so for a sports tourer.

it looks OK, but no way is it practical enough to claim any customers from the touring or sport touring segment…maybe it could be some sort of hypermotard beater? they sell well, don’t they?

nothing beats the KTM 990SM(T) in the search for a sports tourer right now IMO…it’s quite fast, quite light, simply too much fun, very reliable, looks good, has terrific suspenders and brakes, and can haul shitloads of luggage, and seat a pillion very comfortably.

Pat Walker

MV Agusta Tricruiser

MV Agusta Tri-Again

deckard

Love it.

MikeD

There’s no Sacred Cows anywhere…anymore. They(OEMs) are all vunerable and fall prey to “The Fuglies” at one time or another, or for that matter…multiple times. LOL.

Westward

Not sure what it is or what its for, but I like it…

froryde

I have no problems being a sport tourer (oh wait, I do actually…), but why do they all have to LOOK so bloody heavy? And worse yet, all that visual mass is concentrated at the front. To quote Paul Smart on the first gen SV650S:”It looks like an oversized set of boobs on a otherwise slender woman” or something to that extent. But no one ever complains when its on a woman…

And that 3 port exhaust? Looks like someone gave it 2 more bung holes than it should have. Heck, I am not an MV owner and even I am insulted!

Anyone have Tambi’s cell phone? MV needs him back at the sketching table! XD

How did they manage to turn one of the most beautiful bikes ever to one of the ugliest?

I don’t like that nowdays every new “sport tourer” looks similar to this. I wish some European manifacturer would do a tourer like CBR600F.

BikePilot

It looks like it’d be a great one-up, real-world supersport. With proper egronomics a huge windshield isn’t needed. It looks useless for two-up, but if its light and quick enough to compete head-on with supersports I could see buying it as an alternative to a supersport. I doubt anyone considering a mainstream sport tourer would find this attractive.